With help from the defending World Series champions of Major League Baseball, Lamar University’s baseball team took time from its preparation for the 2018 season to help a local family in need. The Cardinals and Houston Astros spent several hours Wednesday helping the still-ongoing recovery effort at a Port Arthur home damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

“We had the opportunity today to help a local family get back to normal after the hurricane,” said head coach Will Davis. “This area got a lot of water, so we’re just trying to help them out. I gathered up all the guys that were in town, and the Astros’ World Series Caravan stopped by. We were all really excited to help out.” 

With water levels in the Port Arthur area cresting over the roofs of some houses, many families are still working hard to get back to life before the storm. Others have left the area altogether, with some homes sitting empty and boarded up. After the Astros reached out to Coach Davis, Big Red knew they could make an impact and help one family take another step towards getting back in their home. 

“The Astros reached out to me and wanted to know if all the hurricane clean-up was done yet,” said Davis. “That’s when I reached out to Cade Bernsen, a local attorney in the area, and Michael Shane Sinegal, the Commissioner of Jefferson County Precinct 3 Road and Bridge, and found out about this family.

Unfortunately there’s still some work to be done in this area, but fortunately we had the time and resources to be able to help. I want to thank Cade and Michael for helping us set this up.”

Around 1 p.m. the Cardinals arrived at the home, where gallons of paint, brushes, and full painting jumpsuits were handed out to each coach and player.

The team spent the next few hours painting the interior of the house and visiting with the family, along with the help of Astros Tony Kemp and Tyler White, Astros broadcaster Geoff Blum, and two of the Astros’ Shooting Stars.